Symposium Theme: American Law at 250
The Syracuse Law Review invites submissions from legal scholars, distinguished practitioners, and policymakers for its upcoming symposium commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States, to be held in the Fall of 2026 at Syracuse University College of Law.
This Symposium seeks to facilitate a rigorous reexamination of the American legal project at a defining historical moment. Anchored in the theme of duality, the symposium will explore the simultaneous and often competing realities that characterize American law: progress and retrenchment, aspiration and implementation, domestic development and global influence.
We aim to convene leading voices to critically assess how American legal frameworks have shaped both the nation and the broader international order—and to explore the extent to which foundational commitments to liberty, equality, and accountability have or have not been realized in practice.
Submissions may engage with, among other questions:
In what respects has American law functioned as a driver of transformative change, and where has it exhibited institutional inertia or resistance?
How have legal doctrines and structures mediated the gap between normative commitments and lived realities?
To what extent has the American legal model influenced constitutional design, governance structures, and rights frameworks globally—and with what consequences?
How should we evaluate reforms that, while often grounded in bipartisan intent, produce uneven or inequitable outcomes in application?
What insights does an intersectional lens offer in assessing the distribution of legal rights and burdens across different communities?
The symposium particularly welcomes contributions that move beyond descriptive accounts to offer normative, comparative, or forward-looking perspectives on the future trajectory of American law.
Suggested Topics:
While not exhaustive, the symposium is especially interested in sophisticated analyses in the following domains:
Constitutional Structure and Development: Federalism, separation of powers, and the global diffusion of American constitutionalism
Rights and Liberties: First Amendment jurisprudence, substantive due process, and evolving conceptions of individual rights
Democracy and Governance: The United States’ role in shaping international legal institutions and governance models
Inequality and Intersectionality: Race, gender, disability, and other dimensions of structural inequity in legal systems
Law and Political Economy: Tax policy, benefits programs, and the challenges of implementation in complex regulatory regimes
Immigration and National Identity: Legal constructions of belonging and exclusion
Land Use, Environment, and Resources: Historical and contemporary tensions in property, zoning, environmental law, and tribal law
Public Health and Education: Legal priorities, systemic gaps, and emerging challenges
Submission Guidelines
The Syracuse Law Review welcomes proposals from established scholars and experienced practitioners whose work engages meaningfully with the symposium’s themes. Those submitting proposals should be prepared to submit, if selected, a final article that adheres to a 15,000-20,000 word limit (inclusive of footnotes).
For publication consideration, please submit:
An abstract of approximately one page, clearly identifying the paper’s thesis, methodology, and contribution to existing literature
A current CV or professional biography
Submissions should be sent to slrsubmissions@syr.edu with the subject line: “Symposium Submission – [Author Name].”
Abstract submission deadline: May 15, 2026
Selected participants will be invited to present their work at the symposium and to contribute to a published symposium issue of the Syracuse Law Review.
Symposium date: Fall 2026
Draft article deadline: July 31, 2026
Final article deadline: August 31, 2026
Contact
For inquiries, please contact:
Emma Bissell and Valerie Pietra, Lead Articles Editors at slrsubmissions@syr.edu